


What a Great Wonder You Are

by CasanovaCanSoar



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling, First Kiss, Kissing, M/M, Nightmare, Panic Attack, Snafu just needs a really long hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 19:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4972681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasanovaCanSoar/pseuds/CasanovaCanSoar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snafu is visiting the Sledges and takes a nap out on their property. He has a nightmare, Eugene helps him calm down. They go back to the house, and cue some comfort and cuddling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What a Great Wonder You Are

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third Sledgefu fic, so I hope you enjoy it. I don't have a beta, so if there are any mistakes, please point them out to me, or even constructive criticism would be nice. (I'm very sensitive so please be constructive and not mean, sorry!)  
> This is based off the characters and actor portrayal in the show. This is in no way connected to what I think of the veterans - no disrespect is intended!  
> I put panic attack in the tags for a reason, so if that triggers you, please do not read this - I don't want to make you feel unsafe!

      There was a time in Merriel Shelton’s life where his everyday thought didn’t revolve around Eugene Sledge. He thought it must have been pretty boring then, since his life was thoroughly hectic now. Every flash of red was his hair, every clink of metal was his dog tags, every cup of coffee reminded him of Eugene, and even the smell of cigarettes could trigger the image of Eugene’s lips pouting around his pipe. Needless to say, Snafu spent a large part of his time slightly aroused and wished bitterly that he didn’t chain smoke.  
      He was sitting underneath one of the many large trees on the Sledge’s property, eyes closed while daydreaming about Eugene’s face. He was out near one of the big fields, facing towards the tall grasses. It was slightly windy and was just the right weather for a light doze. His calloused fingers brushed against the cheap, button-down shirt he bought in New Orleans, moving slightly as his chest rose and fell steadily. He was too lazy to button it, the white undershirt setting itself apart from his tanned skin and the soft blue of the button-down. It was so warm outside, and his entire body felt like warm syrup.  
      “You snoozin’, Snaf?”  
      “Fuck off and let me sleep, Sledgehamma’. I ain’t had no sleep all day.” He didn’t sound as grouchy as he meant to sound, more grudgingly fond. Damnit.  
      “Neither have I.” They both knew why they couldn’t sleep. “Mind if I join you?”  
      “You don’t wanna’ keep watch this time?” He opened one eye and stared at Eugene. His face looked pale and his hair was greasy. Hell, his was probably, too. Usually, after bad nights, one kept watch while the other slept. It was much easier to sleep when a Marine was keeping his eyes up and ears open beside you.  
      “I’m safe here. We’re both safe.” Eugene wouldn’t meet his eyes, and that was a damn shame - he had such beautiful eyes.  
      Snafu simply shrugged. “Alright. Whateva’ makes you happy.”  
      Eugene settled down right beside him, entire length of his side right against Merriel’s. He lay his head against the tree bark and almost immediately dropped off to sleep. His chest settled into a rhythm and his jaw slacked with exhaustion. He mustn't have slept for a few days.  
      While Eugene was off in dreamland, Snafu was frozen. His ears were pink and his cheeks felt hot. He stayed where he was for fear of waking Eugene, looking out across the fields without seeing anything.  
      Merriel was just about to doze off himself when Sledge shifted, and his head fell from its spot on the tree trunk to Shelton’s shoulder. From this position, he could feel Sledge’s warm breath on his collarbone and the tickle of his hair against his neck. Snafu’s flush returned in full force. He wondered how long a person could blush for.  
      It turned out, some people - definitely not him - could blush for about two hours, give or take a few minutes. The only reason he stopped was because, he too, fell asleep, resting his cheek in Eugene’s hair.

      When he woke up, he felt Eugene’s drool dried on his shirt, but no Eugene. He opened his eyes and glanced around, stretching out his bare toes in the dirt.  
      “Eugene?” He called softly, first. Waking up from sleep always made him edgy, and since Eugene was nowhere to be found, he was even more anxious. He heard nothing but soft birdsong.  
      “Gene?” He said it louder, and he scrambled to his feet. He turned in a circle, looking for any signs of him. “Gene!”  
      He listened for any sounds, someone walking maybe, or a voice. Nothing. He started yelling his name, darting around the tree. He couldn’t find him. Eugene was gone. He left, or went missing. He was gone. He was gone. Where was he? He was gone.  
      Snafu tried tracking any paths. He even tried running back to the house, but only got so far. His breaths came short and panicked. So much so that he crumpled to his knees. He scooted back in the dirt until he was getting scratched by branch twigs and his back was against a tree trunk. His breaths heaved in and out of him, and he pulled his knees to his chest and looked down.  
      He didn’t know what was happening. He wasn’t safe. Eugene was gone, and Eugene couldn’t be safe. It was dangerous out here. The Japs could get him. They hid in every tunnel like sewer rats. They killed his friends. They tried to kill him. He didn’t have a weapon. He was in danger. He wasn’t safe. He wasn’t safe.  
      His face tightened as he began to sob. It was too much. It was all too much. Eugene was gone, and it was all his fault. He left him, just like everyone else did. He was alone, and he was so scared. Between heaving sobs, Merriel made the most pitiful noises. He would have been ashamed of himself if he could think clearly enough. He was a Marine, and he had finally succumbed to his fears, to his darkest horrors. He could hear the sounds of shelling and gunfire. He could feel the eternal rain soaking him to the core. He could feel the need to scream, but he couldn’t because that would alert the Japs to their position. The Japs would find him now. They’d kill him. They’d kill him. He wasn’t safe. Eugene was gone. He wasn’t safe.  
      “Merriel!” A voice shouted, and his world completely shifted. His eyes opened as his body hit the grass. His chest heaved and his shirt clung to him with sweat. He felt like he had just come up for air after being underwater for too long.  
      Eugene’s hand was on his chest, the other in his hair. The pressure was grounding, and Snafu fought for breath. Eugene hauled him into his lap, caging him with his arms. Merriel put his head underneath Sledge’s chin, breathing in his earthy smell.  
      He didn’t know how long they sat there until Snafu began to cry. It was full-body sobs that made his chest ache. Snot ran down his nose and he could taste it when he licked his lips. He sniffled and hiccupped around breaths, tears falling when new, stronger waves of emotions overtook him.  
      All the while, Eugene rubbed his back, cooing soft words. He didn’t know what he did to deserve such kindness. He didn’t deserve this.  
      “I thought you were gone. You were gone, Gene.” Snafu’s voice was thick and broke every few words as he gulped for air.  
      “I’m right here. It’s okay. I’m here.”  
      “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”  
      “Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He pressed his lips into Snafu’s dark hair, kissing the top of his head.  
      They stayed like that until sunset, and only because neither wanted to have to navigate through the dark. It was bad enough that Merriel had a panic attack during the afternoon, and Eugene didn’t want to know how bad it would be when everything was clouded in shadow.  
      They slipped up to Eugene’s room, huddling under the sheets. Snafu hadn’t let go of him, pressing his fingers against Eugene’s skin, slipping them underneath the hem of his shirt. Eugene, in turn, was running his fingers through Snafu’s hair and rubbing a hand up and down his side.  
      “Feelin’ better?”  
      “Felt a helluva’ lot worse.” His voice sounded raspy from crying. “‘M sorry.”  
      Eugene shook his head. “Don’t be.”  
      “I - I thought you were dead. It felt so real.” He couldn’t meet Eugene’s eyes. He didn’t deserve to admire their beauty.  
      “Well, it wasn’t real. I’m right here.” He grabbed Snafu’s hand and lay it over his heart. The murmur was still there, giving off an irregular rhythm that, to Merriel at least, was a melody. “Feel that? I’m alive. I’m right here and I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”  
      Merriel nodded, mouth dry. He looked up into Eugene’s eyes. All the lamps in the room were on for visual aid, and the soft glow made Eugene look otherworldly. His eyes were big and soft, staring into Snafu’s reddened and dried ones. _You look beautiful_.  
      “I what?” Eugene’s face flushed and his mouth dropped open a bit in shock. Shitfuckgoddamnit. He said that out loud.  
      “I - I, uh.” He spluttered around his words with no success. “N-nothin’.”  
      “Merriel, look at me.” He ducked his head to try and meet his eyes. In retaliation, Snafu squeezed them shut, face flushed worse than Sledge’s.  
      “I’m sorry.”  
      Eugene’s hand cupped his cheek and pulled his face up. Snafu still kept his eyes closed. Soft lips brushed his, and it was so quick he almost missed it. They were a bit dry and it was an awkward angle, but it felt so good. His eyes shot open and he leaned in and stared into Eugene’s eyes as their lips barely touched. Their breaths tumbled into each others’ mouths. Merriel felt his eyelids droop as he pulled Eugene closer. Eugene’s eyes closed and he tilted his head to kiss him. They started off so slow, just pressing chaste kisses against each other. Their hands pet along arms and necks and cheeks intimately, the callouses littering sparks across their skin.  
Eugene was the one to open his mouth first, trying to encourage Shelton to do the same. Sledge remembered kissing girls in his class - even kissing Mary Sue in the ninth grade. None of them compared to the chapped lips of Merriel Shelton. When he felt bolder, he let his tongue lick into Merriel’s mouth. He was answered with a deep sigh. They parted and met, again and again, licking into each other’s mouths - Eugene mewled and keened when Snafu ran his tongue lightly across the roof of his mouth. It was so deliciously sensitive, and he couldn’t help that he became incredibly aroused. He accidentally shifted his hips into Shelton’s, groaning at the pressure and friction.  
      “W-wait.” Merriel separated their hips and put the hand that wasn’t trapped underneath Eugene’s hip on his shoulder. “No further. I - I can’t.”  
      “Okay. Okay, that’s fine.”  
      They stared at each other for a while, just breathing heavily and admiring flushed skin and dilated eyes.  
      “I don’t know what I would do without you.” Eugene whispered it to him like a prayer. Snafu knew what it was - an _I love you_ neither of them would be brave enough to say. He nuzzled into his cheek, lips tilting into a small smile.  
      “You’d probably die.”  
      “Yeah. Yeah, maybe I would.” He chuckled into his ear, breath sending a shiver through Snafu’s body. He hummed in response, letting the irregular beat of Eugene’s heart calm him.

**Author's Note:**

> I based that panic attack around one that I had about a month ago in my dorm. It was a jump scare prank from my floormates. Long story short. Do not play those kinds of pranks. They ain't funny! So, I took some of that and applied it here.  
> I feel like Snafu didn't cope with what happened very well. So he's been bottling it all up.


End file.
